AN EVALUATION ON THE EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE-LITERATURE AND HISTORY-MUSEUM BRANCHES OF COMMUNITY-HOUSES ON CULTURAL HERITAGE OF TURKEY

Abstract

Community Houses are important institutions that operate for public awareness with the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. In this context, it is aimed to discuss the activities of the Community Houses for protection of our cultural heritage through “Language and Literature” and “History and Museum” branches. The aim of the study is to offer an evaluation, which contributes to the activities of both branches, basing the role of Community Houses upon protection of our tangible and intangible cultural assets. While examining public knowledge and linguistic issues as part of duties and responsibilities of the “Language and Literature” branch, studies on excavation, conference, museum building, restoration and preservation of ancient monuments were analysed by the “History and Museum” branch. In this direction, a literature review was made on cultural heritage studies that had been carried out by the Community Houses until 1951, predominantly between 1933 and 1935. We have reached some information demonstrating that people realized the importance of the cultural inventory and adopted the consciousness of protecting the national values and studies on art, history, archeology increased. It has been determined that the “Language and Literature” branch tried to instil a consciousness of national culture and emphasize the language issue throughout the country. Excavations, ethnography and historical researches have been carried out with the works of the “History and Museum” branch.